The Chinese already dominate the list of planet’s top performing dockyards, with seven out of ten spots, according to a recent World Bank/ S&P Global study.
And now conflicts are troubling two of their few rivals on the chart.
Oman and Qatar are under fire, literally, as their decision to host US military bases has made them legitimate targets for Iranian missiles. International law says countries have the right to retaliate against a military assault.
Qatar has the biggest US military base in West Asian. Oman has multiple smaller ones.
‘WE’VE SEEN THIS ONE BEFORE’
For port operators and shippers in West Asia/ Middle East, the US-Israel attack on Iran is a bizarrely repeated nightmare.
Before the 28 February attack on Iran, they faced similar problems, when ships delivering weapons and other goods to Israel were interrupted in the Red Sea by Ansar Allah (also known as the Houthi), who were protesting against the killings and destruction in Gaza.
Global shippers have not failed to notice that both of these mega-problems were rooted in expansionist military actions by Israel and the United States.
.PANAMA HAT-TRICK
The tragedy of hostile politics ruining trade is not just confined to two locations in West Asia.
Panama in Central America had one of the most efficient sea terminal operations in its region, run by cargo specialists from Hong Kong’s port operations, ultimately held by CK Holdings, a Li Ka-shing family business.
But after Donald Trump threatened to invade the country to “take” the terminals from “Chinese soldiers”, the Panamanian government threw out the Hong Kongers, causing immeasurable harm to its operations and blackening its own reputation.
.WHAT’S THE SECRET OF HIGH PERFORMANCE?
Researchers created a Container Port Performance Index by tracking the data of more than 400 ports worldwide and measuring how long ships spend at each location.
They discovered that Chinese ports operated with notable efficiency in unloading and sending ships on their way, while dockyards elsewhere were often hit with blockages and tailbacks.
Researchers praised Ningbo, in China’s Zhejiang province, for its capacity, automation and “operational discipline”.
.SOCIALISM AND CAPITALISM
China has the advantage of healthy socialism, with the authorities making solid investments in infrastructure, analysts say.
But it also has the advantage of healthy capitalism, with high levels of competition forcing operators to be fast and cheap.
As a result, some places most people have never heard of (such as Mawan, a “smartport” in Shenzhen) have achieved world-class status, seemingly coming from nowhere to score higher than famous docks like Rotterdam in Europe.
Author: Saikat Bhattacharya
